11 



FLORIDA RED SCALE.* 



Aspidiotus ficus, Ashmeacl. 



[A red scale which infests citrus trees in Florida, settling on the young wood, leaves, 

 and fruit. (VI) Leaves infested by the scales, (a) The female scale^ enlarged. (6) The 

 male scale, enlarged.] 



This scale resembles the red scale of California in form and general 

 appearance, but the scale is not red, as the name implies. The color of 

 the scale is of a dark chocolate color, but the discoloration of the leaves 

 is similar and therefore liable to be pronounced the same. This scale is 

 not widely spread throughout that State and is only found in very small 

 patches. The insect is not as damaging as the red scale of California; 

 at least the trees do not suffer as much. The insects do not, as a rule, 

 settle on the wood, but are only to be found on very young and ten- 

 der wood; they prefer to settle on the leaves and on the fruit. This 

 scale insect was introduced into Florida from Havana, Cuba, in 1874, 

 on a sour orange tree, and since that time it has spread into various 

 orange groves. It had been reported that this scale had been extermi- 

 nated by a parasite, and also other statements have been made " that 

 its disappearance was due to climatic influences." Upon investigation 

 I found that there was no proper foundation for either statement, 

 although the insect is not found to be as numerous as in the past few 

 years. The cause of its partial disappearance was carefully looked into, 

 and after careful investigation, and also from the observations made 

 there by practical growers, I found that its decrease is entirely due to 

 the excessive rains that fall in the summer during their breeding sea- 

 son, and also the trees have outgrown and thrown oft* considerable of the 

 scale by the application of chemical fertilizers which are applied there 

 very freely. I examined a grove in Orlando, Florida, that at one time 

 had been reported as dying and worthless, due to the ravages of this 



* [NOTE. In Louisiana this scale attacks the banana plants, and the leaves turn yellow 

 and present a sickly appearance. It was also found upon several varieties of palm and 

 upon the india rubber tree (Ficus macrophylta). In the Botanical Gardens at Washing- 

 ton, this scale is found upon several species of Ficus.] 



